Diviya or Divya (Slavic: Дивия (Дива (Diva), Дева (Virgo), Диана (Diana)) is supposedly a Slavic Goddess.
Mentioned in the section of the translated "Homily of Gregory the Theologian on the Testing of Hail (by Hail)," which is considered an insertion by an 11th-century Russian scribe. Here, after listing the vestiges of paganism, it says, "One is called Dyyu, and the other is called Divia..." Apparently, Divia here is the feminine equivalent of Dyyu, that is, the Greek Zeus from church texts.
B. A. Rybakov sees Divia as the Great Mother Goddess and correlates her with Ma-Divia of the Cretan-Mycenaean period. According to him, the words of the "Conversations of Gregory the Theologian" testify to the worship of this goddess a century after the baptism of Rus'.[1]
In the "Homily of Saint Gregory, Invented in the Tolstoys" the goddess Diva is mentioned after Mokosh. It is possible that Diva in this case is not the name of the goddess, but an epithet of Mokosh: Mokosh-maiden.[2]
Dione's close relative, the goddess Divia, acted as the wife of Zeus in the Mycenaean pantheon of Pylos.
Analysis[]
The figure of Divya seems to be a bastardization of eponym "Дева" (maiden) или "Дива" (supernatural, wonderful). In general, Div (divya) is a name for a supernatural creature, being similar to archaic, but usable "divo"/"диво" (a miracle, something surprising, wonderful). There were, e.g. "divyi ludi" (generic term for tribes which live at faraway lands) and "Div" at "Tale of the Igor's Campaign", who is animal or spirit, foretelling bad fate.
Her name seems to also be a corruption and misinterpretation of Dione from the Homily of Gregory as Dyyu and Divya are male and female counterparts akin to Zeus and Dione and both are etymologically cognate,
Divya's moon association are seemingly an addition by Neo-Pagans, as there are no moon goddesses in Slavic mythology. Otherwise though, the name of Diviya is possibly an epithet for Mokosh.
See also[]
- List of Slavic pseudo-deities
External Link[]
- Divya at Russian Wikipedia
References[]
- ↑ Rybakov, B. A., "Paganism of the Ancient Slavs. The Origins of Slavic Mythology. The Birth of Goddesses and Gods." Archived March 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Zubov N. I. Scientific phantoms of the Slavic Olympus Archived copy from May 23, 2011, on the Wayback Machine // Living Antiquity. Moscow , 1995. No. 3 (7). P. 46-48.